Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Lumia 920 Windows Phones: First Impressions

If you currently own a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone you're probably considering the Lumia 920 as your next Windows Phone. But how do the two compare?

Sure, the Lumia 920 has NFC support, the Pureview camera and Windows Phone 8 but how do these two Windows Phones compare with regards to design?

Here's the tale of the tape on the two. The Nokia Lumia 900 measures 5 x 2.7 x .45 inches and weighs 5.64 ounces. The Nokia Lumia 920 measures 5.13 x 2.79 x .42 inches and weighs in at 6.5 ounces. On paper the Lumia 920 is longer, wider but thinner than the Lumia 900. The Lumia 920 also weighs almost an ounce heavier than the Lumia 900. While on paper these differences are easily noticeable, in the hand the differences are not.

While I can tell the Lumia 920 is the larger phone when held, the 920 doesn't feel larger. In a blindfold test, it would be tough to tell the two Lumia Windows Phones apart just by the way they feel. The extra weight is nicely distributed to avoid feeling heavier and the larger screen size is accommodated by a balance of making the phone's frame wider and taller.

There are some design changes that will give away the Lumia 920. Such as the charging port now on the bottom of the phone and headphone jack centered at the top but feel alone, these two phones are very similar.

Nokia did a good job of increasing the size of the 900 without adding to the bulk. With regards to design and feel, the 920 is a refined version of the 900. If you like the fit and feel of the Lumia 900, you'll like the Lumia 920 just as nicely.

Reader comments

Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Lumia 920 Windows Phones: First Impressions

Ugh! Can't wait to get the 920 myself.... My bank account is going to take quite a hit the next 3 weeks with Christmas shopping, so i'm going to TRY MY BEST to hold out until maybe January...idk -_-
On the other hand, there is all that holiday pay i will amass. Decisions...

I just made the switch today! They feel extremely similar. No way I could tell by touch unless I am feeling the screen. I like the feel of the 920s better! Looks better too(obviously). So, so happy with my decision! I don't seem to be getting much work done today though...

The difference it screen resolution is amazing takes the best photos I've ever seen from a phone hands down the best phone I've ever owned. I didn't like the texting on wp7 they must of tweaked it cause I'm having no problems with the keyboard now the only thing that annoys me is icant figure out how to set the live lock screen "white Lumia 920. "

I just got mine and I didn't notice a difference in weight really, its hard to tell but like George said, the weight is distributed in a way you don't feel it. I haven't turned it on just yet, working on a number port first. And the phone looks great!

Ah yeah - and someone should kick the reviewers in the groin who moaned about the weight. I was super worried to the point I was seriously giving the 8X a look - then got the email that my 920 arrived. Picked it up and: 180whatever grams are so not a problem! Rediculous to even mention it, truly insane to put it into a headline! Cheers

I was worried about the weight too. Then I remembered that I had an old HTC Inspire Android phone in a drawer somewhere and weighted it to get an idea of the size. The Inspire weighted 168 grams, which means the 920 has about the increased heft of a highlighter pen. Not a big deal at all.

I couldn't wait. I was not eligible for an upgrade, so I added a line to my account, got the 920 (yellow) and gave the added line to my 82 year old Dad. We were both happy. Reduced his cell phone bill and got me a new phone.

I just went to ATT store to see both the 8X and 920 , the 920 feels amazing in the hand , it feels so much more premium than the 900. I think the verge and all those other blogs bitching about how this thing is sooooo HEAVY and SOO BULKY , should eat their own words , i asked someone if they thought that and the clear answer was no.
I did see however the 920 lag a little in the terms of going back to the start screen ,and in a quick launch test , NOKIA MAPS on my 900 loaded much faster, i wonder why.

Seen that happen a lot with demo units. The Focus I tried out was performing miserably (glad I tried an actual unit out) and the GSIII I tried out that day wasn't working well either.
I would recommend asking them for an actual turned on unit (they usually have them - for Rogers anyways).

I have a 900. The call quality is the worst of any phone I've ever had. Battery is shit and first glass I've ever scratched. AND voice search turns on by itself all the time and will not turn off. I want a 920 but can anyone tell me it will work as a simple phone at least?

There's always the possibility that Doug Wallace got a bad device. The superlatives and foul language do hamper his credibility though. Either way, if those issues exist on his handset, he needs to notify someone officially and have his concerns resolved.

That is odd. My wife's 900 has not experienced any of the call quality or battery issues, nor have I read them to be an issue. Sounds like you have a lemon. I would call your carrier and/or Nokia and complain.

I have had a 900 since they released it and have had none of the issues you are purporting to have. I am not easy on phones and tend to load apps like a monkey eats bananas. IT performs flawlessly. Did you buy a counterfeit unit?

That's possible - I got a dud when I acquired my L900 last year. I went back to the same store and got a second one, with the same call quality problems. I decided to take the phone back to a different store in the city, and that's been my daily driver ever since, no issues whatsoever. I don't know if it was the stock at that store, or if it was just coincidence, but you might want to report your issues and get a new device. If you get another dud, switch stores or have AT&T ship one to you from their warehouse (did that with the wife's Samsung when the screen cracked last year after a rather nasty drop).

I've never noticed call quality issues on my 900, but the screen keeps getting scratched for no reason. It's a big reason I'm very hesitant to get the 920; I've never had a phone that could manage to get scratched on denim before. And I've gone through a lot of phones with and without gorilla glass, and the Lumia, which I treat more carefully than most, is the only one to get scratched. And it's happened twice, both times without any event to explain why a big scratch has appeared on the screen.

What an embarrassing launch. I called four nearby AT&T stores (in the D.C. suburbs) and a Best Buy Mobile. One of the AT&T stores and Best Buy Mobile didn't know that today was the street date, and hadn't received any stock. Two of the AT&T stores got a couple Lumia 920s in this morning, but sold out immediately. And one of them has some, but only in black (and who knows whether they'll even have any of those left by the time I get off work in a couple hours). And NONE of them have display units.

I was at my local AT&T store as they opened. I got the one and only one RED 920 they had! They only had 1 red, 1 white and a whole lot of black! No other colors yet. This red 920 is sweet! It actually feels smaller and lighter in my hand than the 900 did!

Cool! I almost hated the screen on the 900 cause of the none-curved screen, I have the Dell Venue Pro with curved glass, and now I don't want anything else!
I've held the 8X, it was a lovely design, and I loved the weight and the pillow-design on the back, but I want the bigger screen and more awesome 920!
It's sad we in Norway need to wait to November 29. to get the Lumia 920 :(

Got the 920 in midtown Manhattan they only had a few black ones left. There was blue HTC 8x's as well. Prefer the 8X's size and weight but I'm not gonna pay twice as much for half the storage.

I've noticed a few apps are missing from the app store most notably Spotify, which I used as my main music player on my Focus S. Also Skype and Mango Transit. Luckily Nokia maps does transit directions and I don't use Skype much but the lack of Spotify scares me so far.

I watched somebody in the store today compare his 900 with the 920. He loaded ESPN on both at the same time. It was actually amazing how much faster it loaded on the 920. I didn't think the processor alone was a major selling point, but for certain apps, you definately need it.

As much as I love the 920..im skipping it,due to the fact that is very similar to my #lumia 900..yeah the screen is brighter faster but let's be honest lumia 900 smoke every phone out there,so that's good enough speed for me...i know in my heart that Nokia will radically change the design of the next 920..htc beat them this time...im gonna be patient...if u never had a lumia before and this is your first lumia I CONGRATULATE YOU KUMPADRE!!

I couldn't resist went right to at&t after work and picked up whit 920 everyone's worried about the size and weight but find it very comfortable to hold and it doesn't feel heavy to me at all . I'll be up all night playing with it good thing I'm off of work tomorrow lol the only gripe I had with the windows phones was typing on the keyboard. I would make a lot of mistakes and have to always proof read my texts but in wp8 the keyboard has been tweaked and the texting is a whole lot better. u will notice it as soon as u send a couple texts. I'm trying to sync it to my computer but apparently wp8 and windows XP don't get along yet so if any one can gimme a clue as to what is going on it would b appreciated. Thanks

I pre ordered my 920 last night from at& t and revived it this afternoon I didn't recive the charge pad like I thought they were giving away free does anyone know what's the story with that ? Was it another false internet rumor or am missing something? Anyone got a clue?

My wife and I actually kind of prefer how the colors pop on the OLED screens vs the LCD. I'm sure I'll get used to it fast if I'm not already. But that simple fact was really pulling my wife towards the 920 along with the removable storage and plates. We ended up getting a red and yellow 920. Red looks amazing love it so much and I'm ecstatic to see my wife's yellow when it comes in the mail. We were only able to get black charging pads from AT&T.

IF You like your windows phone like I do please do not visit or download (the verge or Engadget ) weg site or their app they don't deserve for us to even read or see what they have to say of any WP after the bad reviews they did of the Lumia 920 wich is a wonderful and powerful device so please run the voice to every site you visit pleaseeee we have to let them know that we know why they are doing this bcuz apple is advertising their products in those sites. And is olso obvious that the money thay are making have more Value than their moral thanks a million

I say no. Nokia has already said they plan on hitting 2013 hard. The 920 is very nice, but I doubt they can't improve on it. I would wait for the Nokia 1000 (or whatever), regardless of whether you get a Surface or not.